Episode 8 Why marketers get ignored | Make Marketing Better

Welcome to Episode 8 of Make Marketing Better with James Deysel! In today’s episode, we are tackling an uncomfortable truth head on: the crisis of confidence facing the marketing discipline. Why do marketers get ignored in the boardroom, why has the CMO become the most vulnerable seat in the C-suite, and why is marketing disproportionately flooded with fractional workers? This isn’t just personal frustration folks. The sad truth is that the data tells a damning story. We examine landmark industry benchmarks, including why 80% of CEOs do not trust their CMOs (Fournaise Marketing Group), why 31% of S&P 500 companies have eliminated the enterprise CMO role entirely, why advertising ranks alongside politicians in public trust (Ipsos), and why marketing represents a massive 30.4% of all fractional executives in the economy. I break down the 11 drivers destroying marketing's commercial credibility from speaking esoteric jargon and accepting the "colouring-in department" label, to chasing shiny-object trends, falling for attribution fiction, and prioritising virtue signalling over commercial performance. Finally, I lay out a practical playbook for how marketers can rebuild authority, think like CEOs, master the complete 4Ps, and anchor their work in commercial rigor. Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Intro: The Crisis of Confidence in Marketing 00:40 - The Hard Data: Why CMOs Lose Credibility (Fournaise & S&P 500) 02:15 - Public Perception: Advertising at the Bottom of the Barrel (Ipsos) 02:50 - The Rise of the Fractional Marketer (30.4% Market Share) 04:22 - 11 Drivers: Why Marketers Get Ignored 04:40 - Driver 1: Speaking "Marketing" 05:25 - Driver 2: The "Colouring-in Department" Syndrome 06:30 - Driver 3: Tactics Over Strategy (The Pistachio & Matcha Trap) 07:32 - Driver 4: No Consumer Centricity (Failing to Signal Demand) 08:05 - Driver 5: The "Dog with a Ball on the Beach" Syndrome (Echo Chambers) 09:10 - Driver 6: Ignoring Category Entry Points (CEPs) 09:52 - Driver 8: Ignoring Data & Insight Testing 11:11 - Driver 9: The Cult of Adland & Virtue Signalling 12:35 - Driver 10: Attribution Fiction & P&L Accountability 13:35 - Driver 11: The "Jazz Hands" Trap & Professional Conduct 14:40 - The Solution 1: Formal Qualifications & Training (The Kellogg's / Mars Lesson) 16:00 - The Solution 2: Thinking Like a CEO (Reclaiming the 4Ps) 16:35 - The Solution 3: The True Voice of the Consumer 16:55 - The Solution 4: Strategy Above Tactics (Diagnose, Strategy, Tactics) 17:25 - CTA & How We Make Marketing Better BONUS: A note on point 7 (not covered in the video): No Commercial skin in the game. I.e. Marketers who only care about metrics that relate to creative campaigns or brand health and disregard P&L or commercial outcomes in the process. Key Takeaways from Episode 8: •The CEO Trust Gap is Real: When 80% of CEOs distrust their CMOs and 73% feel marketing lacks commercial credibility, marketing budget cuts are an inevitability rather than an accident and marketers are the first to go during the next restructure… •The Fractional Disparity: Marketing makes up 30.4% of fractional leadership (compared to just 7.6% for finance and 8.8% for HR), exposing how many businesses treat marketing leadership as an episodic afterthought rather than a core strategic pillar. •Drop the Dialect: If you talk in likes, reach, and social slang instead of mental availability, physical availability, cash flow, and EBITDA, you forfeit your seat at the strategic table. •Reject the "Colouring-In Department": Marketing is not an aesthetic finishing school or downstream PR function; it covers the holistic 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion). Never self-deprecate your discipline. •Tactics Are Not Strategy: Chasing ungrounded FMCG trends (from viral ingredients to random claims) without a diagnosis and strategic framework erodes brand equity. •Test Before You Invest: Use accessible testing platforms (such as Stickybeak or Paper Moose’s Moose Review) to turn commercial data into validated consumer insights. • Commercial Stewardship Over Virtue Signalling: Marketers are custodians of shareholder capital. Using company funds to push personal crusades rather than driving commercial growth and demand is a breach of fiduciary responsibility. •The 3-Step Growth Discipline: Real brand planning always follows a structured sequence: 1. Diagnosis, 2. Strategy (clear growth pillars), 3. Tactics. Join the Mission to Make Marketing Better: • Subscribe to the YouTube Channel: Hit the bell icon to never miss an FMCG, retail, or commercial strategy deep dive. Link:    / @jamesdeysel_mmb   • Follow James Deysel on LinkedIn: Daily insights, breakdown posts, and commercial marketing strategy discussions. Link:   / jamesdeysel   • Website & Services: jamesdeysel.com | Author of Limitless LinkedIn & Marketing Advisory. Link: https://www.jamesdeysel.com/